Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-01-25
BLAZING WITH DIAMONDS
JEWEIH & wHbH ARE THE VERY
ESSmU<CrOF PROPERTY.

Strange to bay the diamond is modern
Improvement! There is no historical
record of the diamond prior to Christ,
and Tavernier asserts, probably with
truth, that no large diamonds were in the
market before the sixteenth century.
The first diamonds came from India,
especially Ceylon: the second large sup.
ply from Brazil, which produced them so
fast that the price fell to 81 a carat, and
remained for a long time at about IS a
carat. 1t was probably about that time
that the great royal collections of dia-
mOnds were made.
Tie collection belonging to the Sultan
of Turkey, which is probably the finest
in the world, dates prior TO the discovery
OF America, and undoubtedly came from
Asia. One Turkish Pasha alone left the
empire at his death seven table-clo,hs
embroidered with diamonds, and sixty
bushels of fine pearls. In the last war
with Russia, in 1878. Turkey borrowed
O,C0O, 600 from the Ottoman Bank on the
security Of the crown jewels. The CASHIER
OF the bank was admitted to the treasure
cnambar, and was told to help himself
until he had enough to secure his ad-
vances. 81 selected enough" said he, "tO
secure the bank against loss in any event:
but the removal OF the gems | took made
no gap in the accumulation"
The Russians have the largest diamond
In the world, the OrlOtf, which weighs
194% carats and forms the apex of the
Russian sceptre. The French diamond,
known as the Regent, which was stolen
ut the famous robbery OF the crown
jewels In 1902, and was afterward found
In ditch, is 1876 carats, and was valued
at $2,50O,000 hundred years ago. Who
on earth would give 81, 800, 600 for a stonep
Estimating the value of money at per
cent, the owner of such gem
would spend $l25,000 year in
loss of interest. The famous blue dia-
mond, the sancy, which was stolen at the
same time, has never been recovered.
Perhaps the rObber hid it and died before
he thought 1t safe to dig it up. Perhaps
ne was killed and his secret died with
him. At any rate it is gone. LOUIS Ma
polean invested several millions in dia-
mOnds; 1t is partly on the proceeds of
these jewels that his widow has beer sup.
porting herself ever since his death. The
English Koh-i-noOr is 1927 carats,
but it has been so badly cut that
its value is matter of uncer-
tainty. The English nobility
have always been lovers OF the diamond.
When the Duke of Buckingham was sent
eta, be wore suit of clothes valued at
$250,000. 1t was made of satin and uncut
velvet, set all over with diamonds, and
the diamonds were purpOsely so loosely
sewn that they flew off as the Duke
walked, and persons of base degree picked
them up and carried them off. Prince
Esterhazy Is said to have exhibited SIM
liar ostentation ut a ball at Almack's.
The gem lover will find no such jewels
In nalI
in The East, one reads of a diamond neck
lace of a diamond parure selling for $40,-
600. There was a o ne time purse-proud
parvenu in the United States Senate VINO
wore $4,000 diamond in his shirt front.
Gov. Stanford spent $4,000 in diamonds
at Titfany's some years ago, and some of
the ladies OF San Francisco, whose jewel
cases the reporter is not privileged to de-
scr be, contain gems representing q sum
which would constitute fortune Id an
ordinary family. There are diamond
necklaces here for sale at 81, 800 to SO, 800
which would be as effective in a ball
room as a string of gems OF five times the
size. There is one ring here which con-
tains big diamond weighing AZ carats
and two fair rubies; it is worth 1850,
and is no doubt cheap at the price. But
who would like to go through life with
the sobriquet Of the Man with the Ring !?
1t is curious to note the fluctuations in
the value of diamonds. About 800 years
ago they were quoted at 1925 a carat.
Fifty years later we find them selling at
sos carat. A hundred and fifty years
later the supply from Brazil ad increas-
ed so large that One~Carat stones sold for
$40, and shortly after at 81. From this
point they rallied to $31 per carat at the
time Of the French revolution; then, I'M
! der the pressure of the supply from ex-
lied French noblesse, they fell again to
$40. During the first sixty or seventy
years of this century they rose steadily,
and twenty years ago they were quoted
at about 500 carat. Now, Mr.. Henry
4 ID. Morse, Of Boston, gives the folio wing
prices OF Diamonds at the present time /:
Stones averaging one-half carat each,
$50.
Stones averaging three-quarter carat
each, $50 per carat.
Stones averaging one carat each, 800
per carat.
M Stones averaging one and one-quarter
carats each, $40 per carat.
Stones averaging one and one-half
carats each, 1925 per carat.
VA Stones averaging one and thTee-quarter
carats each, $l45 per carat.
x Stones averaging two carats each, $40
per carat.
III In other words, the value of the gem in
creases in the geometrical ratio OF its
weight. Four diamonds weighing to-
gether two carats are worth $l20; but one
diamond weighing just as much is worth
$500. Stones weighing over two carats
are about the same price per carat as two
earat stones; they should be dearer. but
they are not, simply because the demand
for them is limited. II the demand for
diamonds were as imperative as the de-
mand tor flour or beef, the geometrical
ratio would again cone into play, and
dve-carat stones would De valued in the
thousands.
1t is not likely that the diamond of
moderate size will ever be much lower in
value than 1t is now. In the words OF a
popular writer, "1he diamond is the very
Essence OF property. 1t is riches con-
densed; too small 10 be seen by the mid
night burglar; TOO easily mid to be seized
by the tyrant; too quickly carried away
TO be wrested from the exile or the out
law. A diamond is a portable empire"
~ is no wonder the prosecuted eX-mon-
archs OF Hindostan put their money in
diamonds against British rapaclty.
t Our san Francisco jewelers. buy their
diamonds In London and Paris. None or
them have yet established connections
with Brazil or GolcOnda or Cape Town.
There is firm in New York which cuts
diamonds, and which performed a good
job on that remarkable stone which was
Uncovered few years ago on the bank of
the james river, opposite Richmond, Va.